Luoyang Museum
Encyclopedia
Luoyang Museum is a local historical museum in Luoyang
, Henan
Province
of China
. Situated in the Yellow River
valley, the museum is 160 kilometres (99.4 mi) west of Zhengzhou
. It offers exhibits of the rich cultural heritage of Luoyang, a major Chinese cultural centre
, which was the capital of more than a dozen ancient dynasties of the Xia
and the East Zhou
.
The museum was first built in 1958 in Guanlin, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of Luoyang City. It was moved to the north side of Zhongzhou Road in 1973 near the Wangcheng Park, which, at an area of 67 hectares, is the largest public park in Luoyang. The new museum opened on May 1, 1974. It houses relics from excavation sites on the outskirts of Luoyang, in the city's old section. They include antiquaries from palaces and temples. These artifacts establish the historical past of Luoyang, representing elements of the ancient city of nine capitals, from Neolithic times up to 937 AD. Another museum in Luoyang also contains archaeological finds, the Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum
, but it specializes in tombs as more than 10,000 have been found in the local area.
Chinese architectural style
. An Eastern Han Dynasty painting of the "hundred- flower" lantern is displayed on the front facade of the museum.
With four display halls, and five exhibition rooms, it is spread over 20000 sqm with a floor space of 10000 sqm. The antiquaries are arranged in such a ways as to demonstrate the stages of social structure evolution, beginning with Primitive Society
in the first hall, followed by aspects related to slavery
, and feudalism
. The exhibits are also arranged in a sequence of ancient cultures starting with Heluo, followed by Yangshao
, Longshan
, the Xia
(21st century BC-17th century BC), Shang
(17th century BC-11th century BC) and ending with Zhou
(11th century BC-256BC).
, Germany
, France
, Singapore
and South Korea
. In addition, the Museum also conducts exhibitions of calligraphy and paintings and other items every year.
Many of the exhibits are of bronze, pottery, porcelain, gold, silver, jade and stone wares. In addition, the Ming and Qing dynasty articles include ancient calligraphic works and paintings, and folk art objects. Pieces include stone age
figurines and implements of Tang Dynasty; a figurine of a young woman with coiled hair excavated in 1980; a young woman figurine in clay with dragon design headgear; an imperial attendant at the Jingling Mausoleum of Ziyou, Emperor Xianzhuang Mangssssssan of Northern Wei Dynasty ( 314 centimetres (123.6 in)); and an imperial attendant at the Jingling Mausoleum of Yuan Key, Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei Dynasty (289 cm tall);
There are also items excavated at Erlitou, an important Shang
site 30 metres (98.4 ft) east of Luoyang. These include jade, bronzes, and pottery artifacts of the Xia and Shang dynasty. A winged bronze figure with gold inlay measuring 15.5 centimetres (6.1 in) by 9.5 centimetres (3.7 in) from the Eastern Han Dynasty was secured from a tomb on the outskirts of Luoyong and represents a three dimensional sculpture of an enlightened person
. Three relics from the earliest Buddhist Yongning Temple built in 519 under the Northern Wei dynasty reign, and a figure painted in clay unearthed from the base of the Yongning Temple are also part of the collection.
Of the mingqi
items excavated in 1972 from a nearby Western Han tomb, a house-like kitchen and 190 pottery articles are a part of the museum collection. There are two epitaph tablets that record the construction of the Gongling mausoleum of Li Hong
.
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
Province
Province (China)
A province, in the context of Chinese government, is a translation of sheng formally provincial level divisions, which is an administrative division. Provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, and the special administrative regions, make up the four types of province of administrative division...
of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Situated in the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
valley, the museum is 160 kilometres (99.4 mi) west of Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
. It offers exhibits of the rich cultural heritage of Luoyang, a major Chinese cultural centre
Culture of China
Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest and most complex. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces...
, which was the capital of more than a dozen ancient dynasties of the Xia
Xia Dynasty
The Xia Dynasty is the first dynasty in China to be described in ancient historical chronicles such as Bamboo Annals, Classic of History and Records of the Grand Historian. The Xia Dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors gave his throne to him...
and the East Zhou
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
.
The museum was first built in 1958 in Guanlin, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of Luoyang City. It was moved to the north side of Zhongzhou Road in 1973 near the Wangcheng Park, which, at an area of 67 hectares, is the largest public park in Luoyang. The new museum opened on May 1, 1974. It houses relics from excavation sites on the outskirts of Luoyang, in the city's old section. They include antiquaries from palaces and temples. These artifacts establish the historical past of Luoyang, representing elements of the ancient city of nine capitals, from Neolithic times up to 937 AD. Another museum in Luoyang also contains archaeological finds, the Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum
Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum
Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum is a museum presenting Chinese ancient tombs in Luoyang, in the Henan province of China....
, but it specializes in tombs as more than 10,000 have been found in the local area.
Architecture and fittings
The museum is built in ancient Tang DynastyTang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
Chinese architectural style
Chinese architecture
Chinese architecture refers to a style of architecture that has taken shape in East Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely unchanged, the main changes being only the decorative details...
. An Eastern Han Dynasty painting of the "hundred- flower" lantern is displayed on the front facade of the museum.
Primitive culture
In older anthropology texts and discussions, the term "primitive culture" is used to refer to a society that is believed to lack cultural, technological, or economic sophistication/development...
in the first hall, followed by aspects related to slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, and feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
. The exhibits are also arranged in a sequence of ancient cultures starting with Heluo, followed by Yangshao
Yangshao culture
The Yangshao culture was a Neolithic culture that existed extensively along the central Yellow River in China. The Yangshao culture is dated from around 5000 BC to 3000 BC. The culture is named after Yangshao, the first excavated representative village of this culture, which was discovered in 1921...
, Longshan
Longshan culture
The Longshan culture was a late Neolithic culture in China, centered on the central and lower Yellow River and dated from about 3000 BC to 2000 BC...
, the Xia
Xia Dynasty
The Xia Dynasty is the first dynasty in China to be described in ancient historical chronicles such as Bamboo Annals, Classic of History and Records of the Grand Historian. The Xia Dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors gave his throne to him...
(21st century BC-17th century BC), Shang
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
(17th century BC-11th century BC) and ending with Zhou
Zhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
(11th century BC-256BC).
Exhibits
Two collections are major permanent exhibits: the "Historical and Cultural Relics of Luoyang" and the "Selected Cultural Relics of Luoyang." Travelling collections from the Luoyang Museum are located in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. In addition, the Museum also conducts exhibitions of calligraphy and paintings and other items every year.
Many of the exhibits are of bronze, pottery, porcelain, gold, silver, jade and stone wares. In addition, the Ming and Qing dynasty articles include ancient calligraphic works and paintings, and folk art objects. Pieces include stone age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
figurines and implements of Tang Dynasty; a figurine of a young woman with coiled hair excavated in 1980; a young woman figurine in clay with dragon design headgear; an imperial attendant at the Jingling Mausoleum of Ziyou, Emperor Xianzhuang Mangssssssan of Northern Wei Dynasty ( 314 centimetres (123.6 in)); and an imperial attendant at the Jingling Mausoleum of Yuan Key, Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei Dynasty (289 cm tall);
There are also items excavated at Erlitou, an important Shang
Shang
The shang is a flat ritual upturned handbell employed by Bönpo and Asian shamans. The sizes of the shang range from approximately 3 to 20 inches in diameter. It is traditionally held to have originated in Zhangzhung and is symbolically similar to the tantric dril-bhu. Shang are traditionally...
site 30 metres (98.4 ft) east of Luoyang. These include jade, bronzes, and pottery artifacts of the Xia and Shang dynasty. A winged bronze figure with gold inlay measuring 15.5 centimetres (6.1 in) by 9.5 centimetres (3.7 in) from the Eastern Han Dynasty was secured from a tomb on the outskirts of Luoyong and represents a three dimensional sculpture of an enlightened person
Enlightenment in Buddhism
The English term enlightenment has commonly been used in the western world to translate several Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese and Japanese terms and concepts, especially bodhi, prajna, kensho, satori and buddhahood.-Insight:...
. Three relics from the earliest Buddhist Yongning Temple built in 519 under the Northern Wei dynasty reign, and a figure painted in clay unearthed from the base of the Yongning Temple are also part of the collection.
Of the mingqi
Mingqi
Mingqi , sometimes referred to as "spirit objects" or "vessels for ghosts", are Chinese burial goods. They included daily utensils, musical instruments, weapons, armor, and intimate objects such as the deceased's cap, can and bamboo mat. Mingqi also could include figurines, spiritual...
items excavated in 1972 from a nearby Western Han tomb, a house-like kitchen and 190 pottery articles are a part of the museum collection. There are two epitaph tablets that record the construction of the Gongling mausoleum of Li Hong
Li Hong
Li Hong , formally Emperor Xiaojing with the temple name of Yizong , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty...
.